>>. >> jon: here is some big news reported by the daily current. sarah palin has joined al-jazeera america. you know the one that paid al gore. she signed a multitie million deal to host her own shows.

that was picked up by blogger, with sarah palin tried to stay relevant. because they reach millions of devoutly religious people. the problem is the article is fake dreamed up by the daily current and the "washington post" bought it hook, line and syringer. of course the former alaska governor fired back with this. hey "washington post" i'm having coffee with elvis this week and washed the moka most. thanks to our >>. >> heather: hello welcome to a

brand-new hour. >> kelly: i'm kelly wright. topping the news, a proposal getting a tough response from republicans today. what it means for millions of immigrants wanting u.s. citizenship and our broken borders. >> heather: heated debate on using drones against americans in the war against terror. >> kelly: fight for millions of americans wanting to home school their kids but let them participant in sports in schools. a fair and balanced debate after one state strikes down that option. >> heather: new details in the showdown over the confirmation of chuck hagel as the next secretary of defense. after successfully blocking his nomination last week, senate republicans including senator lindsay graham say they have a lot more issues to iron out before moving forward with his confirmation at the end of this month. national correspondent steve

centanni is live in washington. what exactly senator graham's latest concern? >> it's his supported of israel. he said to have made this speech and here is lindsay graham this morning on fox news sunday. >> allegedly senator hagel said that the u.s. state department was an adjunct of the israeli foreign minister's office which i think would be breathtaking if he said that to have such a view. i got a letter back in response to my question, did you say that and do you believe that. and the letter said he did not recall saying that and disavows the statement. >> unless new information comes to light and john mccain, even though he think hagel is not qualified, senate should confirm him because of reasonable amount of time for questions to be asked. >> harris: what is the white house saying about this whole episode so far for the hagel

nomination? >> president said in a google appearance that much of the talk about benz, many questions were asked about that, benghazi. congress is running out of questions. the nomination of chuck hagel to be defense secretary and john brennan to head the c.i.a. are both hanging in the balance. the chief of staff says that is grave concern. >> between john brennan as c.i.a. director and chuck hagel as secretary of defense. we want make sure we have our guys working. we don't want something missed because of a hangup in washington. >> reporter: another vote on hagel is expected after congress returns. >> hagel is all but confirmed, how will it impacted his ability to be an effective leader. do not miss an all new fox news sunday, that is tonight when

chris wallace sits down with lindsay graham, that is coming up at 6:00 p.m. eastern. >> kelly: a draft of the immigration proposal is drawing sharp criticism from republicans because it would reportedly give illegal immigrants a chance to become permanent residents in just eight years. the administration insists that it is just a back-up proposal in case negotiations fail. doug reports from the white house. >> the president has a new immigration plan and it's already raising republican eyebrows on capitol hill. even if the details are sketchy. according to a draft that was leaked the president wants to create a special new visa specifically for illegal immigrants that would allow them to stay in the country while they wait for legal status. even those with criminal records would be welcomed as long as they have not been convicted of three crimes or spent more than

n prison. >> leaks don't happen by accident. this raises the question that many of us continue to wonder about. does the president really want a result or does he want another excuse to beat up republicans so he can get political advantage? >> reporter: the white house says the president is following through on his promise to have a plan of his own ready to go if congress fails to act. >> we are doing exactly what we said we would do. we will be prepared if the talks that we are aggressively supporting. >> sticking point to republicans will come down to border security. bipartisan plan coming together here is expected to require the borders be secure before there is pathway to citizenship. so far based on what we have seen from the president's plan, that trigger mechanism does not

appear to be part of the bill. >> heather: two republicans and two vionts view on who should be authorized drone strikes on americans suspected of terrorism. a federal court, not the president should make that decision. the south carolina senator says it should be left to the president's discretion. both laid out their views on fox news sunday. >> i think we need drones to patrol our borders but i don't think you need a drone to attack an al-qaeda operative in the united states. we're using drones along the afghan and pakistan border. any citizen that aids al-qaeda should be treated as criminal. drones are a tactical weapon in the overall war. >> i'm primarily asking and primary questions americans on the american soil, can the president kill them from a drone strike from this program?

it's blatantly illegal and i disagree with the senator. if you live in america you ought to get your day in court before a missile comes down on you. >> heather: last week, president obama says there has never been a drone strike on a u.s. citizen on american soil adding that he will work with congress on a way to be more open with the public about the u.s. drone program. >> kelly: in the meantime, u.s. and russia are putting their heads together to find a way to end the ongoing crisis that is taking place in syria. john kerry speaking with russia's foreign minister on the phone today about the best way to use their respective influence. conner powell is live with more details on this important aspect of this story. >> reporter: rush skha is one of the biggest supporters of the assad regime. and secretary kerry has been trying on reach the foreign minister for some time but they

finally spoke and secretary of state john kerry agreed too meet in the future to discuss syria. as they were talking the fighting is intensifying particularly around the town of aleppo. they have stepped up their attacks on syrian air bases including two airports. assad military is also responded by shelling several rebel held areas. as the fighting has intensified the israeli military has confirmed that it has taken in 7 syrians injured. these are the first syrians to be treated in israel to be treated with medical help during this entire civil war. u.n. is making a push to o'up talks between the assad regime and opposition leaders. both sides have refused to talk to each other in the past. opposition leaders are saying they will meet with members of the syrian government but only

if they don't include assad and security officials. that seems very unlikely meaning there is probably no real path. >> kelly: it's an important aspect or development to see russia and the united states trying to work together on this crisis going on in syria. what about the iran factor? what can they do about that keeping iran out of syria? >> there is a very little things to do to iran right now. they are already international sanctions because of the nuclear program in iran. there is also other things that the united states is working on with other countries but the real pressure pointed for u.s. diplomats think they will have most success is going through russia. they don't see much of an avenue through to iran to pressure the

regime. >> heather: the crisis in the african nation of mali. a french official confirmed that an operation has been launched in the town of boron, hundreds of forces are on the ground trying to dislodge radical fighters. joy aheadists have staged two suicide bombings so far on the road from bourem where they forced out hundreds just last month. >> kelly: new details against sprinter oscar pistorius. reeva steenkamp's family says the body is back in south africa. the model was shot to death inside his home on valentine's day. he is charged in his girlfriend's murder and expected to make a second court appearances on the same day as her funeral. we are also hearing from his agent for the first time. he is pulling pistorius from all

scheduled races coming up. >> obviously from management point and as a friend, its tragic circumstances and events that have unfolded. we can only give oscar our support at this point. >> kelly: he rose to fame last summer when he was firste leg amputee to participate in the olympic games. >> heather: new questions about the potential fallout of several gun makers halting production in response to sweeping gun laws. adam is following this story. >> reporter: the democratic gun control package in colorado is that the latest battle going on with the whole gun control issue and you have a national battle and other states, as well. over the weekend it's all about colorado. the state legislature after a

marathon session yesterday passed four different gun control measures, everything included a tax on all gun pushes and ban of private sale firearms. a universal background check, all passed in a day long session. vice president called some of the representatives to encourage them to vote in favor. here is what both sides had to say. >> that is a common thread that we see in these massacres, they are using high capacity magazines so they can unload as many bullets as they can to kill as many people as they can in our schools, in our theaters and in our church. >> members you vote for this bill, you are not voting for evidence based practice. you are voting on a hunch. you are voting on a guess and you are willing to send jobs, important manufacturing jobs out of this state. >> reporter: one would be the

ban on magazines that holding more than 15 rounds. with a than one of major manufactures is located in colorado and they say it's an attack on jobs and including the second amendment. it's continuing to rage on and goes to the next step in colorado. other states are hearing some of the same issues, as well. again, interesting to note that the vice president made phone calls yesterday to more moderate district representatives on the democratic side trying to get their support of these bills. >> heather: thanks thank you very much. >> kelly: a memorial service in rhode island for the 100 people killed in a nightclub fire ten years ago. 2003 blaze broke out inside the station night club when pyrotechnics for the band great white caught fire. they paid tribute and a group

hopes to break ground on a memorial sometime in the spring. >> heather: pope benedict xvi blessing the faithful in st. peter's square this morning. he will actually resign on february 28th. at least 50,000 pilgrims attended the event during which he made no direct reference for his decision to step down. though he did ask the crowd to continue praying for him and for the next pope. >> kelly: huge crowd. >> heather: i was able to do that. >> kelly: new concerns that the economic downturn we're experiencing may have much greater impact on future retirees than originally thought. >> heather: massive cleanup effort after this, a meteor explosion over russia. we'll update o you on that. >> kelly: middle school teacher accused of bringing a loaded gun to school apparently for

self-defense. our legal panel debates what should be done in terms of this punishment if there should be any. >> this employee has infat ways with guns and brought the weapon to the school to protect himself in the event of a violent intruder. [ male announcer ] this is sheldo whose long day setting up the news starts with arthritis pain and a choice. take tylenol or take aleve, the #1 recommended pain reliever by orthopedic doctors. just two aleve can keep pain away all day. back to the news. and it gave me my custom number. my arches needed more support until i got my number at the free dr. scholl's foot mapping center. i'm a believer! and you will be too! go to drscholls.com to find your closest walmart with a foot mapping center. a. alright, another one just like that. right in the old bucket. good toss! see that's much better! that was good. you had your shoulder pointed, you kept your eyes on your target.

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>>. >> heather: welcome back. time for a quick check on headlines. they say the majority of windows smashed in russia have been replaced. it shattered glass in more than 4,000 buildings, about 200 people were hurt. hundreds of muslims in pakistan holding protests against the government demanding protection against sunni militants. it comes one day after a massive bombings that killed 80 people. celebrations across libya where people are marking the second anniversary of the resolution that toppled long time dictator khadafy. >> according to a new survey there could be trouble ahead for future retirees.

for the first time, the majority of americans are headed toward a retirement in which they are financially worse off than their parents and four out of ten people are living paycheck to paycheck. so how do average hard working americans prepare for their financial future? brenda buttner is joins us and anchor of "bulls and bears." good to have you. >> kelly: four out of ten living paycheck to paycheck in america. that is big ouch when it comes time to find your money and set something aside for your 401-k? >> this is the whole issue that americans are not, a lot of them do not have the wherewithal to put it into savings. many are forgetting to do it or not putting away enough. there was a u.s. senate report that basically we have a retirement savings deficit. we don't have enough money for the next generation, some six

trillion dollars. it's $57,000 per household. that is lot of money. i think it's very, very tragic. for the first time, generations have done better than past generations but the next one may not be. >> kelly: i was looking at the stats that said the 401-ks they are averaging about $77,300 and that is not enough for retirement. >> that was based on data from fidelity investment. we don't know the older people closer to retirement and if they are younger they can still play catch up. there are things you can do to catch up basically. >> kelly: you make a valid point if you are younger you can catch up, but when you are 50 and beyond, it gets kind of dicey there, what is your advice to

people of putting money and socking it away? >> the first one is realize that basically you are in charge of your retirement. benefits are going to have to be cut, social security and medicare and medicaid entitlements are the biggest part of our growing debt. those are going to be cut. you really are in charge. i think four out of five workers don't have traditional pension plans anymore where a company paid you a monthly income. now you have your 401-k and you have to put the money away. that is the main thing. don't worry about where you are putting it. put it away. ifer not putting money in a 401-k you are losing out on employer matching funds. that is free money that will grow tax free. so it's best deal for savings. >> kelly: most companies provide

those contributions, but if that employee is neglecting that, when it comes for retirement there must might be a few dollars in there? >> that's right. and younger savers are trending more to towards what is called roth iras that are not tax deductible at the time. when your income is lower, 401-k work good. you take them out. you take out the money when you are at lower income bracket. so it is more efficient. >> many americans will be retiring at a later age? >> we have been reporting on this for a while. they are delaying retirement. one issue you have to bring up. many people tap into their 401-ks and easier to do without a penalty, but leave that money alone if you can.

it's critical for your future. >> kelly: so sound advice. leave the money alone. good to to have you. you can catch brenda on "bulls and bears" every saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. eastern. >> heather: well, after taking a huge hit in last weekend's blizzard, parts of new england are dealing with more snow. we are tracking the storm up next. >> kelly: plus chuck hagel uphit battle to be the next secretary of defense and rang link over his nomination could impact his ability to lead. that is next. >> i'm sure the white house is very disturbed how poorly he did during his confirmation hirings. it is going to impact as he tries to limp across the finish line to get confirmed. i don't believe this is obstructionism. [ male announcer ] this is a fire

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>>. >> kelly: extreme weather alert.

bay state can't catch a break, howling wind and blowing snow battering the massachusetts coast and much of the area is digging out from the massive blizzard there, parts of the cape could see up to a foot of snow. meteorologist maria molina has more details or horrible details for people living there. >> depends how you look at it. we unfortunately are getting much more snow in the northeast especially across portions of new england. state of maine under a blizzard warning, eastern portions of that state you are looking at very from four to six inches of snowfall accumulation and impacting that area right now but also strong winds, gusting up to 50 mile-per-hour at times so you are looking at whiteout conditions on the roadways and blizzard warning is in effect as we head tomorrow afternoon.

some of you will have a rough commute. if you have to work tomorrow, it's presidents' day and keep that in mind. then we have another storm system across parts of the northern plains that could be producing blizzard conditions overnight tonight and into monday. keeping a track on right now. right now the storm is disorganized but it will pack a punch with the wind that it is carrying and cold temperatures behind that storm. first across portions of new england with that coming across portions of maine and into portions of southeastern new hampshire and we have severe weather in the form of a blizzard warning in portions of north dakota and watch out there. temperatures behind the storm across the northeast very cold, 20s in cleveland and new york city. right now in the 50s across the city of tampa but very cold. nighttime hours, very cold

temperatures and tomorrow in parts of the northern plains, snow is heavy and lot colder across places in the northern plains. >> kelly: thank you very much. >> heather: as the senate prepares to confirm former g.o.p. senator chuck hagel as the next secretary of defense new questions about whether all the opposition to his nomination will hurt his ability to lead in the long run. here is lindsay graham is addressing this issue on fox news sunday earlier today. >> even if you allow hagel to be confirmed in a weekly when you come back from recess, do you worry at all he will be damaged and therefore less effective in dealing inside the pentagon? >> i would worry about a congress being jammed to support a nominee that the "washington post" is said to the left of obama policy agenda and on the

fringe of the senate. >> heather: joining me now is brad blakeman and erlina maxwell i'll start with you. it does appear that chuck hagel will be confirmed as secretary of defense. will this delay his performance during his confirmation hearing make him a less effective or respected secretary of defense? >> process isn't over and the delay is a caused by hagel himself. additional information was needed in his testimony. the senators have a right to review that material and use that in their judgment. assuming he is confirmed, certainly his performance before the senate was not of the caliber as anybody would thought as somebody seeking the department of defense. it was not where it should have been.

he knows that. certainly the white house knows that. having said that, i think the jury out. they are going to be looking to see when she confirmed as to whether he is up for the job. really the burden is on him to show that he is. i think there are a lot of people that will be sitting back uncomfortably to see whether or not he is going to be able to lead the department of defense, not only within his department of defense infrastructure but also with his relation with house and senate. >> heather: what do you think? will he be able to rise for the occasion and he is suitable for the job? >> i think so. we are talking about a vietnam war veteran who had a career in senate for 12 years. it's ironic people in the senate that using innuendo for serious policy issues is questioning someone that served there for 12 years. i think it's very important that

we get him confirmed. we get him to work and then republicans need to get serious about foreign policy again because you can't block someone's nomination because he bucked the line about the iraq war. now, we are at a place where we are filibustering. >> there are serious considerations that the senate put before this nominee. he was wrong on the sanctions in iran. he was wrong on the surge in 2007. the surge was exactly what was needed in iraq. she wrong on nuclear proliferation. the fact of the matter is in a perfect world, would it be great if there were no nuclear weapons but so far, nuclear weaponry is deterrent necessary to have more peaceful world. and we have proliferation that must be stopped. when we talk about foreign policy, it's a direct impact on the department of defense and these are exact questions we should be asking.

>> heather: and this is not unprecedented. there are two other times that a cabinet secretary needed 60 votes and both of those bush nominees facing harry reid and democrats and environmental agency head. both had to meet 60 vote threshold. now it has happened to hagel. the third time in ten years. so it's not unprecedented. my question to you, why rush it? >> because the department of defense is responsible for our military. we are currently in conflict right now. i think this is something that has to deal with national security. you really need to get serious and get to work here. we can't be talking about things that are not relevant. they are asking for information about benghazi and chuck hagel had nothing to do with benghazi. if you wanted questions about that you need to talk on other people. >> heather: they got one of those questions answered, that

is whether or not president obama himself personally called libyan officials on the night of september 11th but the respect on hagel to get a simple answer which we now know the answer was no. brad? >> you are absolutely right. we had some leverage over the white house and hagel was used at that leverage to get the white house to come clean. the department of defense unlike the white house would like to lead us to believe is not rudderless. the department of defense is being led and will be led until such time until his replacement is confirmed. constitution is silent how long a confirmation should take place. end of story and we're not there yet. >> i think we really need to get serious about the important

issues. they are asking about benghazi but i wanted to know about the military budget, i want to know about our direction to wind down the war in afghanistan. these are the questions i wanted to be asked of chuck hagel and those have not been asked. they have been asked on speeches he may or may not made. this is mistake mccarthy style of interrogation. it would be neat to get serious. >> heather: he was actually required to give all of that information to begin with. now apparently it's being discovered that it may not have been produced. thank you for joining us. thanks. >> kelly: meantime, a teacher pout administrative leave for purportedly bringing a gun and knife to work but some believe he brought the weapons to school for his own protection. is he wrong? . >> heather: grown man slapped a

toddler in the face as the child's mother looks on in who arer. >> i pushed him away and that is when he slapped him. so people saw it. he could have hit my son so hard and he could have done permanent damage and grown man hitting a toddler. [ manager 1 ] out here in the winds, i have to know the weather patterns.

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>>. >> kelly: welcome back. a middle school teacher in san diego is on administrative leave for allegedly bringing a gun and knife to work. the teacher 41-year-old ned walker could face felony charges. >> in the state of california it's against the law to bring a firearm and punishable by a felony. board of education, we don't believe teachers and staff

should have guns on campus. >> kelly: this case has been making headlines in california where pundits walker may have brought the weapons to school for his own protection. so far, they have not begin a reason why. our legal panel, defense attorney and bob massi is joining me right now to shed their insights and perspective. teacher is not saying why he allegedly brought the weapons to school in the first place, but there is speculation i've just discussed he may have been motivated to do so upon hearing discussions about arming teachers and other so-called good guys with guns in the aftermath of the school massacre. could that possibly be a defense strategy? >> you know, kelly, that cop was right except for concealed carry permit holders who can bring

firearms on to campus without exception. we don't know if that is case. despite school policy to the contrary he is not violation of state law and should not be prosecuted. if he did not have that permit he may find a defense of necessity. if he felt there was imminent threat to him on or his children and he was carrying that gun to protect himself or the children, that may well be a defense of the case. but some of some of these teachers are afraid the potential for a repeat of that horrible incident. he may have wanted to make sure his kids were safer instead of bees dusted in a shooting gallery. there is a lot that remains to be seen. >> kelly: bob, way in for that if you will. >> i see two issues. first administratively should he be fired. second issue should he be prosecuted. if he didn't have a permit from a criminal perspective let the

district attorney make that decision, as david said to see an imminent threat. administrative perspective if they have a no tolerance policy in the school district, he should not be exception to that rule because the bottom line, it is not a teacher's choice unilaterally if the -- does school district does not allow it. we don't know his state of mind. we don't know how the children will interpret that. if he is leader of the class bringing guns in what message does it say. >> kelly: bob, he raises a good point. we don't know how students would respond to that. we were talking about the ccw law. let's take a look at california law for carry permits. under the lay concealed permit holders are exempt from prosecution on the california gun free school zone's act but

stipulates that the gun owner must have written permission from the school superintendent otherwise the person will be punished. but is there a gray area and was he right into the gun into a school. >> the state law does not have that provision regarding written permission from the school. state law is very clear. if you have the permit you can carry on campus. it's a school policy contravention to the law the state wins. there is no knife issue, so he lies but one of problems we have in this state we have 58 counties all with a different policy of issuing concealed-carry permits. some sheriffs issue them. our sheriff does a great job and will issue them when they need them. in san diego county, the sheriff is not so generous and rarely

issues concealed carry permits. he may not have had one. if he did he has great case and i expect this case to be thrown out of court. >> kelly: i have to bring it back to you, bob. what you talked about state of mind, what was this gentleman's state of mind as he came into the school with students there and he is carrying a gun and a knife. >> look, we don't know. we also know this. assuming that there is no tolerance policy he was wrong. he was absolutely wrong. as a result of that, there should be some type of retaliation or maybe that is not discipline f, if you will. what about disclosure to the parents? if i had a child in that school and that teacher is bringing it, i wanted to know why is he bringing a gun to my child's class without telling people. if he did it by protocol which he didn't, he would be cited.

they say he is a wonderful father, they say he a good man. how many cases have we covered in the last few years when you hear, he was a great neighbor and he was a great father and great citizen and look what happens. >> no indication that this man wasn't a great father and great person. he has no criminal record. >> kelly: i'm running out of time. but the bottom line it has to be investigated. they have to determine was this guy wrong. no matter what our opinions are, the legal system will solve it. keep in mind as i go, if it was a five-year-old bringing a toy gun to school, that five-year-old would be out of the school. keep that in mind. >> that is bizarre thing about the lou law. it's just ridiculous. >> kelly: good to see you, by the way. >> heather: see ya. lawmakers in virginia saying the so-called bill is no go in their state. it is named for tebow that was

home-schooled. he actually got to play for some of the local teams. should other home-schooled kids have that same opportunity. a fair and balanced debate straight ahead. >> kelly: can you tebow. >> heather: i can, can you? hi victor! mom? i know you got to go in a minute but this is a real quick me, that's perfect for two! campbell's chunky beef with country vegetables, poured over rice! [ male announcer ] campbell's chunky soup. it fills you up right. i'm maria, and i have diabetic nerve pain. i felt like my feet were going to sleep. it was like pins and needles sticking in your toes and in your feet. it progressed from there to burning like i was walking on hot coals. at that point, i knew i had to do something. when i went to see my doctor, she chose lyrica. once i started taking the lyrica, the pain started subsiding. [ female announcer ] it's known that diabetes damages nerves. lyrica is fda approved to treat diabetic nerve pain.

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>>. >> heather: senate putting the brakes on the tebow battle. legislation is named after n.f.l. quarterback tim tebow that was home-schooled but still got to play on public school team. the bill was aimed at giving home-schoolers that same opportunity in virginia. is it fair to tell these kids that they can't join the team? joining us now for a fair and balanced debate, radio talk show host garland nixon gar lapped. fair or not. should the kids get to play? >> absolutely not. it blows off the hinges for drugs. you are going to have parents that keep their kids home. it's really not home schooling. i'm against it in the first place. you are going to have kids that work hard in class and have to meet academic standards, going up and dealing with kids who stay home and don't do much.

>> heather: mike an open opportunity? >> i love this mentality. this is anti-home school. you think the kids are sleeping in all day doing nothing. they are doing college courses because parents don't want to them to go on failed school system. every single democrat voted against the bill. that th why every democrat voted against it because the teachers union hates home-schoolers. every state i have lived in, it's run by the teachers unions and they want to stick to it home-schoolers. >> heather: virginia is not alone here. we have a map that do not allow home school kids to participate this public school sports. there is 21 states that do not give them that opportunity. there is 29 that do allow it. so what do you think about that

garland, is this a matter of anti-unions? >> no, because i mean on one hand, people want to jump all over union for competency standards yet there are actually no competent say standards for the parents at home teaching the kids. it's unfair. my child has to meet academic standards and get c's to stay on the team yet the next person can stay home. it's unfair. you are going to have coaches that say the kids struggle in class. now what, right don't you stay home and home school next semester and get rid of those pesky exams. >> heather: how do you know all those kids, how do you know he didn't stay home and lift weights to prepare for football this? >> bill allows every school to make up their own rules. if you care about this, every school would make up their own standards and they would have to take a test.

i went to a public school that didn't have a swim team. i swam for another school 40 minutes away. you and i know that teams help build character and they help kids get into college. why would you deny that to any student living in washington, d.c. i know there are kids in d.c. who parents care enough care about them to home school them and you are taking the opportunity to reach their full potential. why would you do that? >> if they care that much about their kids, send them to school. if they want them to play, send them to school. the option is there. >> heather: what if the school district really isn't up to standard and the parents can do a better job just say they can at home -- why not give that child the opportunity? >> because what you are going to end up with is basketball team with 12 kids who are home-schooled. you are going to end up with corruption. if the problem is there is not

enough corruption in high school sports this will certainly solve it. >> heather: thank you for the heated debate. >> it was a big week for political speeches. political inside others here and what their take on president obama's state of the union address and the g.o.p. response plus so much more.

>> hello, welcome to brand new hour inside america's news headquarters. health nice to you have here. topping the news, more and more cyber attacks target retailers and hackers are zeroing on that industry and you should be worried. >> shocking incident in the air when a grown man allegedly slaps a crying baby. now that little boy's mother is speaking out. >> urging the f.d.a. to require beverage makers to reduce sweetners. can we empower ourselves to make informed decisions without the government stepping in? >> first, details in the showdown over the confirmation of former republican senator hagel as the next secretary of defense. after blocking the confirmation today the senate republicans including senator graham of

south carolina said necessity believe hagel is unqualified to head the pentagon but they should move forward with a vote. national correspondent is live in washington, dc. will the challenge actually prevent hagel's confirmation from going forward? >> no, he is making a statement. hagel has the votes. senator graham is raising questions about his support of israel. >> allegedly senator hagel said that the united states state department was an adjunct of the israeli foreign minister's office which would be breath taking to have such a view. >> the former senator denied making that statement and senator graham said he will take hagel at his word unless new information emerges. >> senator john mccain says the senate should go ahead and confirm hagel because there has been enough time for questions. >> the republicans have been

spending a lot of political capital on this. what is the white house saying about the nominations being delayed? >> they don't like it. they know hagel probably will be confirmed. the president said last week that much of the questioning about the attack on the consulate in benghazi was politically motivated and congress is running out of questions to ask. democrats say plenty of information has been released already. >> what is happening is very unusual unprecedented review asking for speeches, going back five years. asking for all sorts of material we have never requested of a confirmation. >> the white house chief of staff says that he has grave concerns about the hold up for hagel at pentagon and john brennan at c.i.a. saying we want the people in place so we do not miss anything related to national security. >> thank you, steve, from washington, dc. now that hagel is all but

confirmed, how will this process impact his ability to be an effective leader? our political insiders will weigh in later in the show. also, don't miss all new fox news sunday tonight when chris wallace sits down with south carolina senator graham next hour only here on the fox news channel. >>heather: a leak to immigration proposal is drawing sharp criticism from republicans. the obama administration is circulating a draft bill that gives illegal immigrant as chance to become permanent residents in a few short years. >> the president has the new immigration plan raising plenty of eyebrows on capitol hill. even if some of the details are a little sketchy. according to a draft leaked to "usa today" the president wants to create a new visa specifically for illegal immigrants that allows them to stay in the country while they wait if permanent legal status.

those with criminal records would be welcome so lock as they have not been convicted of three crimes or spent more than a year in prison. >> leaks don't happen in washington by accident. this raises the question many us wonder about: does the president want a result or another group to bet up republicans so he can get political advantage in the next election? >> the white house says the president is simply following through on his promise to have a plan of his own ready to go if congress fails to act. >> we are doing exactly what we said we would do, to be prepared in the event the talks going on the haul which, by the way, were aggressively are supported by us. ought sticking point comes down to board security, the bipartisan plan coming together here is expected to require that the borders be secure before there is a final path to citizenship. so far, based on what we have

seen reported on the president's plan the trigger mechanism does not appear to be part of the white house bill. >>heather: thank the white house. >> repairman in russia are trying to fix thousands of windows shattered by a supersonic boom on friday from the exploding meteor that blasted through earth's atmosphere streaking through the sky and causing a flash of incredible light and a power were shockwave that smashed countless windows. 4,000 buildings were damaged. no one was killed. 1,200 people were hurt. most of them by flying glass. the local government says more than half of the windows have already been replaced thanks to 20,000 people who turned out to help. >> in afghanistan, president karzai announcing plans to ban afghanistan security forces from asking nato forces to carry out airstrikes on residential areas. this is in response to a nato

airstrike that killed seven civilians last week including women and children. afghan forces have requested the strike during a joint afghan united states operation targeting taliban fighters in the northeast part of the country. >> the united states and russia are coming together to try to find a resolution to the ongoing crisis in syria. secretary of state john kerry speaking today with russia's foreign minister on the phone about the best way to use their respective influence to end the bloodshed. and now live to jerusalem and this is an important move on of behalf of russia, and the united states? >>reporter: russia is syria's biggest backer and john kerry spoke to the russian foreign minister after trying to reach the russian foreign minister but nothing particularly concrete came out of this discussion only a promise to meet face to face

in the future. the fighting is et cetera can -- is escalating in aleppo with opposition fighters stepping up attacks on airbases capturing two regime airports. assad troops have responded by shelling several rebel-held areas and the u.n. is trying to make another push to open up talks between opposition groups and the syrian government. both sides have refused to talk to each other for the entire two-year civil war and now the opposition is saying they will meet with syrian government officials but only if assad and other security officials are not part of the talks. that seems very unlikely. that means the u.n.-backed talks and any type of talk in the future seem very, very unlikely to lap and the fighting will probably continue on go forward. >> thank you from jerusalem, conor. >>heather: seven refugees wounded in the syrian conflict are recovering in a hospital in

israel. a military spokeswoman says israeli soldiers spotted the group approaching the border and were given treatment for serious injuries to their limbs and internal organs. this is the first time syrian fleeing their civil war have been taken into the jewish state. >> now, to iraq, dozens of people killed and more than 130 wounded in a string of car bombings in baghdad. the blast take place minutes from each other in and around outdoor markets coming amid rising second table violence and appear to be aimed at shaking iraq's confidence in the shiite-led government. >> a delta passenger allegedly slapped a crying toddler and calls him a racial slur. now the little boy's angry mother is speaking out. and now, polly is live from new york city with more on this story. >> anyone who has traveled with

a toddler knows it is challenging but though parents expects other adults to/out at their child. this is just what an idaho man is accuses of doing charged with assault of a two-year old. a minnesota mom boarded a flight from minneapolis to atlanta with her son february 8. after taking her seat a man next to her began complaining, drinking and became increasingly belligerent and then decided to spend the flight with her child standing up but when it was time to descend she and her son runed to their spot. at the altitude changed, he started to cry. according to court papers the man sitting next to her, a 60-year-old, seen here in a mug shot from a previous arrest, said a racial slur and slapped the boy across the face resulting in a scratch under his right eye. this is not his first run in with the law. in 2007 he was arrested in fairfax, virginia, and charged

with three misdemeanor violations: assaults carrying a concealed weapon, and public swearing and intoxication. he pled guilty to the assault charge in exchange for dropping of the other charges. >> he fell on to my face and his ear or his mouth was in my ear and he said it again. but even more hateful and he was on my face so i pushed him away and he slapped my son. people saw. >> a manufacturer based in idaho where he works says he has been suspended. another passenger on the flight heard derogatory language coming from the rear of the plane and he got up out of the seat and got to the back of the plane and witnessed the attack. the f.b.i. is investigating. >> molly, thank you. >> we have brand new images of a

memorial service in rhode island for the 100 people killed in a nightclub fire 10 years ago. the 2003 blaze broke out inside the station nightclub when pyro techniques for a band caused a ceiling and walls to catch fire. today, survivors and family members gathered there to pay tribute to the victims. a group working to build a memorial at the site hope to break ground in the spring. >>heather: shoppers on high alert. how is your next visit to the mall -- it could leave you at risk for identity theft. >> the purr-fect adventure with the rarest breeds in the world at a sanctuary. >>heather: big budget cuts are coming to america's armed forces. can anything be done before it is too late? our political insiders weigh in.

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>> time new for a quick check of the headlines. a community is in shock after a deadly fire in texas where two firefighters were killed and two others seriously burned. the fire broke out in a vacant club on friday. >> after backlash from customers makers mark is reversing decision to cut the amount of alcohol in bottles of its whiskey. last week they said they were lowering the amount of alcohol because of a supply shortage. >> and ruby throated hummingbirds are migrating earlier than urge because of higher temperatures if central america could be the rope. >>heather: pretty. cyber attacks, something that is not pretty come in all shapes and sideses but the number one target of computer hackers is

the lucrative retail industry, targeted in 45 percent of all cyber attacks in 2012. that is according to one industry study, at least. should this worry consumers? what are the reasons? we will bring in senior business correspondent and anchor of "bulls and bears." so, should i use my credit card or debit card if i am doing retail shopping? >> the people who -- yes. consumers have to worry for a variety of reasons but the retail industry has to be worried. they are the one who have to take the action. essentially they have been putting off getting more point of sale security systems. they are more focused on customer service and margins are low because of the recession so right now we are finding that hackers, and it is not just a guy in the basement these are flourishing underground unworld industries that literally bundle

together customer information, your address, your credit card numbers, your pin, everything, and they are going after retailers because it is easier than other targets. >>heather: they get the information from the retailer and get our information and they sell it to the others who are using it for cream. it is millions just if a case involving subway and other unnamed retailers where 80,000 customers had data compromised and bundled up and sold and unauthorized transactions were made for three years on that information. >>heather: i want to ask you how do we know if we are a victim? do the retailers have to tell us? first, what account retailers do? >> some of them have passwords for their point of sale systems, password one. do not do that. a hacker looks at that and laughs. they have to have better firewalls and pay more attention

to their security system. they are starting to do because they are nearly 50 percent of all security breaches in 2012 were for retailers. >>heather: but it costs money. does it translate down to the cost to the consumer? >> what is costing them more is the theft. it is not just shoplifting, that is passed along to consumers in the form of high are prices. but this kind of theft which is so targeted now and so sophisticated, it is really going to get passed along to us. that is the real issue. >>heather: what do we do to protect ourselves? >> you are careful with your own pin and do not have passwords that are easy but it is not so much us, it is the retailer. when you are online, if you have, if you are...if you have an internet, it should be password protected. those easy things to do. it is not so much us. it is the stores.

sometimes there is a delay and make sure your credit card, your credit card company, check every day, go online and check to see what is being charged f there are --. >>heather: every day? there is no way i check every day. >> it is not that hard you can see if there are transactions, but credit card companies is been calling about saying, watch out, there was a $20,000 down in north carolina that doesn't look like one of your charges. >>heather: thank you, brenda, great advice. can you catch brenda on "bulls and bears "saturday original at 10:00 a.m. eastern right here on the fox news channel. >> thanks brenda. fox news channel looking inside a unique wildlife conservation project in california called cat haven located west of kings canyon national park home to some of the rarest cats in the world including snow leopards. streaming live now from kings

canyon national park in california. michelle? >> big cats here are different than most of the other cats you sigh at zoos. you can see all of them on display here in the country. it is more than just for entertainment purposes. the main mission is to preserve felines here in the wild. get up close and personal with some of the rarest cats in the world. this is cat haven a nonprofit in california. >> we want to raise awareness and funding for issues and scientists that work with cats in the wild. from lions to tigers to jaguars. >> we wanted to give people a better experience with cats and hopefully they become interested when they see them and hear about them and take an active role if conservation of cats in the wild. >> visitors hit the trail to learn about the many fee lines.

>> cat conservation is different, they learn to be safe and are taught by their mothers. >> coming to this facility if central california, you are not only getting a unique experience but you are helping a good cause. >> a lot of bang if your buck. you help catch a lot of the other animals. >> cheetahs are friendly. the endangered species is the fattest land animal on earth imagine driving down the freeway at 70 miles per hour and this guy passes you right by. tango the cheetah has been in several commercials and every penny goes back into the project. >> we use them for entertainment f i showed you a picture of a lion it is not as effective as seeing a lion open her mouth the. >> visitors like it more than the zoo experience. >> you meet the people, one-on-one contact with the cats and they know the cats and their

personalities and they can tell you everything and it is more intimate. it is nice. >> it is the purr-fect spot for cat haven. this baby jaguar was born a few weeks ago and has a brother, and that is why keeping the types of cats ismore than the, and that is the mission at project survival cat haven. >> thanks for bringing us so close with the cats. we appreciate that. >> her hand was in that cat's mouth the. >> very courageous. >> brave. >> another major storm hitting an area already reeling from the blizzard and we will tell you where it is and where it is headed next. >> it was the drink seen around the world but is the mainstream media trying to turn this sip into a big deal? our political insiders weigh in next. [ male announcer ] why is kellogg's crunchy nut so delicious?

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>> parts of new england are hit hard by winteringy with up to a foot of snow on cape cod and smaller amounts crossing the rest of the region the area that was buried by the blizzard with 3 feet of snow. now to the fox weather center. maria: just what we need in negative, more snow. unfortunately, we are getting a lot of it in eastern maine and eastern massachusetts. not just a lot of snow but some very cold temperatures and strong winds so the wind chill in portions of new england is below zero and same in maine and single digits and it feels like the teens across new york city

with gusts up to 30, 40, or 50 miles per hour. that is across the northeast today and it should continue as we head into the overnight hours attorney. otherwise, headed to the west i will show you the mild temperatures across portions of texas, oklahoma, and the wind chill temperatures in the 70's across texas, and it is actually a sign we have another storm system that is developing out west and it will health eastbound headed into the next several days as we head into the work week something to watch across portions of the plains but, first, our storm in new england, a blizzard warning across portions of the state of maine that goes inaffect tomorrow afternoon so .5' of snow out here, maximum amount, and also strong winds so that will produce blowing out and drifting out here across portions of new england and, otherwise, brand new blizzard warnings, a blizzard watch and a winter storm warning in portions of the north central where we expect several inches of snow and strong winds. otherwise, how does temperatures in the 50 look in florida?

not too bad, right? in florida that is cold especially this time of the year. >>heather: i was there for the daytona 500 media day and it was cold in daytona. maria: bundle up. >> it is hot in politics and after claiming they were being stonewalled by the white house, the g.o.p. now putting new pressure on the administration to answer questions about the deadly terror attack that took place in benghazi delaying nominations of the president's nominees hagel and brennan and president obama making a rather dismissive statement of the benghazi investigation last week while answering a question about transparency in his administration. listen. >> there are a handful of issues mostly around national security

where people have legitimate questions, where there is still concern about whether we have all the information we need. benghazi, by the way, is not a good example. that was largely driven by campaign stuff because everything about that we have had more testimony and more paper provided to congress than ever before and congress is running out of things to ask. >> let's bring in our political insider, john leboutillier and pat caddell, form palm step for president jimmy carter, and doug schoen, fox news contributor and form pollster for bill clinton. so, we will start with the president. benghazi. campaign stuff. gentleman, what do you say? >> it is not campaign stuff. that was four months ago. we are in february and repeatedly learning more things because of the confirmation

hearings. the republicans are doing a good job forcing the white house to answer more questions. although we have a lot more to learn. >> i was surprised and struck by the president's statement about benghazi. i know he wants to move forward. >> that was a stunning statement. i have never quite seen something like that, it reminds me of nixon and watergate. something is going on, when john mccain used the word "coverup" woodward was on with chris wallace and he said a lot of these are legitimate questions. we don't know...no one knows from the evacuees interviewed by the f.b.i., we don't know what the president was doing. there are four dead americans and what is happening, it is getting more and more the case that this is developing --.

>> why would he even go from, doug? >> he raised the issue. >> here is what he is trying to do. he is trying to dismiss the whole question, and you are right, four dead americans. we don't know what happened that night. who did the president talk to. we doesn't know. he is trying to dismiss it out of hand and town it into partisanship because the questions are not answered. the republicans are trying to keep it alive, as they should, because (a), they legitimate questions; (b) it puts people like hagel and brennan and jack lew under the microscope. >> the country has a right to know. >> it is not just that they made up the line narrative this was a lie, and romney let him get away with it, that is romney's fault

but four dead americans and we don't know what happened and it is clear the president was absent. i worked for a president in the middle of a hostage crisis and it consumed him every single minute of every day. >> i remember in 1995 working for bill clinton and it was grady got out of bosnia and the national security advisor, tony lake, came to brief bill clinton when he got out of bosnia and the president of the united states, as he should, was following this case as closely as you and i would follow something involving our families or children. it strikes me as incongruous the president of the united states would not have been up to date minute to minute. >> we don't know why this is being covered up. politically, here is a case where the republicans are doing

something together in opposition to the administration which is their job. it is a check and a battle. they are using congressal power to force answers for come from the white house. >> if this were any other president the media --. >> i know where you are going. it is unbelievable how the media has gone on the tank when we are being fed a series of storyies and people admit they did not speak to the president, the secretary of defense once, or the secretary of state at all. no one. no one. >> there are other issues going on that obviously will have time to talk about. what was your impression of the "state of the union" address? >> my take it was a solid presentation of a series of initiatives that are popular poll tested but don't really address the central question of

the debt, the deficit, the lack of a budget, the lack of a clear plan for our future and between rubio's response and the president's state of the union we are no closer to dealing with our large scale issues. >> you took the words from my mouth. did the president lack the opportunity or did he waste the opportunity to cast a vision? >> yes. what works politically is to go against your own type and standing. in other words, he is a liberal democrat. great. where he would be more effective is if he disavowed some part of liberalism. rather than doing that, he goes to the left even more. the things that doug mentioned, what he talked about, more investment and clean energy and infrastructure, we have a poll from rasmussen that shows this.

the consequence of this is that the president's failing to move the country forward. which helps the economy more? more government cuts, 55 percent? more spending? only 36 percent agree with the president. >> the reason he changed from the inaugural address where he never mentioned the economy to the speech which was "about the economy" but was about bigger government and more spending, is because the country has consumed those issues and the issues that he has been talking about, climate change and the others are at the bottom of people's concerns, so the answer is, the president is pushing an agenda, a campaign to defeat the republicans in 2014 and the republicans have no narrative and are sitting there like lumps. we had a real watergate in a response finally. when i say the president failed to move the country forward he

failed an opportunity to find common ground. >> the man who was going to unite the america, no red america or blue america this man has doug and i wrote last year is the most divisive president in our lifetime and tearing the country apart. >> he speaks of bipartisanship but offers no policies that offer any hope of achieving partner banship. bottom line, he is doing nothing more than trying to eliminate the republican party. >> even the immigration thing today, you have for the only time in congress they are talking to each other and he wants a proposal to blow that up. >> the democrats are speaking, john. we have to go. we are now just two weeks away from deep spending cuts known as sequestration and some warn could put our national security at risk. so, can congress come up with a responsible way to deal with this before it is too late? our political insiders are back their thoughts on that next.

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>> oscar pistorius' career has been put on hold in the wake of a murder charge the agent canceling all future races including an appearance in the united states. the olympic at least is accused of shooting his girlfriend in his south africa home on valentine's day. at st. peter's square today, huge crowds with the pope stepping down at the end of the month. and the first woman, yes, wins the pole position for the stellar lap at an event early today for the daytona 500.

>> congratulations to danica, what an accomplishment in nascar. >> in a couple of weeks, a federal government will see the budget slabbed by $85 belt with a new round of automatic spending cuts. there could be a series of new tax hikes that republicans are strongly opposed to. so, what will we find? what will happen in the next couple of weeks? we bring back our political insiders, john leboutillier, pat caddell, and doug schoen. gentleman, i start with the sequestration. the white house chief of staff said today on television that the president is not giving up on averting the sequestration. is he doing enough to stop it? >> i would have thought that the president would have spoken directly about the sequestration in the state of the union, would

have called for talks with the republicans, extended an olive branch in terms of policy and the speech you suggested, too, did not do that. we are looking at crippling cuts in domestic programs and in foreign assistance, in our military programs, which really are draconian cuts. neither side wants them but neither is putting forward a realistic plans. it makes no sense. it is bad. >> this is the consequence of a washington that is so dysfunctional. the the president now says he has no idea where they came from. the republicans and the democrat leaders in congress who vote god them act like they had nothing to do with it and it was supposed to make them come to the table and do reasonable cuts. these are so across the board and draconian without any sense of anything but it tells me everything about our politics. we see it in the hagel hearing, woodward on fox says the democratic senators are calling the white house saying, get rid

of chuck hagel and the white house saying no but not publicly. no one will stand up for the country. back to your point, the president doesn't lead for the country, the congress doesn't lead for the congress, the people put their party above principle and above the country all the time. >> on the mirror opposite of that, that pat said so well, the two parties have runaway from a mess they created, sequestration and they also created the ultimate solution to it in the simpson-bowles debt reduction commissions they both created it, they came up with a ten year plan for $4 trillion in cuts and savings. they have runaway from that. why do they lack the courage to do the right thing? >> the extremes much both parties. bottom line you could not get the republican right to go for revenue increases or the democratic left to do entitlement reform. john is right. paul ryan was against it, the president walked away from it,

we could not get a bipartisan consensus for a plan that would revitalize the economy, produce growth and create jobs. it is a tragedy. >> i talked to a republican congressman why not vote for sink such and they say because of tax increases but i say you have already raised taxes, they have done that. >> the real answer they will not put the country first. how do we grow our economy? this washington game is all about their power and position and why the congress has 11 percent rating together. >> gentleman, all love to talk to you about what is going on in our country. can you get more from the political insiders every monday at 10:30 a.m. eastern and they will be back here next sunday, you can also follow them on twitter at "insiders."

>>heather: a consume group is pushing the f.d.a. to put the squeeze on how much sugar goes into your favorite soft drink but is government regulation the answer? hi. hi. i'm here to pick up some cacti. it should be under stephens. the verizon share everything plan for small business. get a shareable pool of data... got enough joshua trees? ... on up to 25 devices. so you can spend less time... yea, the golden barrels... managing wireless costs and technology and more time driving your business potential. looks like we're going to need to order more agaves...

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>> a new effort underway to relate how much favor is in your favorite stop drink. the center for science and public interest is urging the f.d.a. to require beverage makers to cut back on sweetners. here is the thing, should the f.d.a. intervene on behalf of americans or is it up to us to take more responsibility for our own health? joining us now is attending physician and assistant proffer in the department of emergency medicine at new york (center. thank you for joining us. just so americans know first of all, how much sugar do we get on average and how much is recommended? the world health organization and american heart association recommend 32 grams of added sugar. that is not counting what you get in fruits and vegetables but added sugar a day per person if a general 2,000 calorie diet. that is the equivalent of eight

teaspoons of sugar added. maybe like six if women and nine for men so that is how much they recommend. >>heather: but we are getting more? >> the truth is, in general, americans get about 18 to 23 range teaspoons a day, two or three time more than recommended coming out to 300 to 400 calories. >> they always are supersizing or getting the large ones and they are always refilling. what is the danger with a practice where you are addicted to these soft drinks? >> well the problem is it does become addictive. you get used to drinking that much, you get used to having that much sweetness in your life every day and it causes more than just obesity, month than just diabetes but now it is connected to heart disease and thought to be connected with certain cancers.

so it is not just a matter of getting the nutrients we need or not, because they are empty calories and now we are contributing to our own health problems. >> i try to stay away from all soda but is the answer more f.d.a. regulation? what step can we take ourselves to empower ourselves in terms of our health? >> that is a really important aspect of this, we are in control of our own body and what we put in it and how can we do it better. first i wreck how to read the label. you go to the supermarket and look at package. we are used to looking at calories and fat. there were trends toward that and it is important but reading down further where they have carbohydrates and then sugars and that is the number of grahams in one serving of that specific product. you could be amazed to find that

thinks we don't think of as sweet, catch ketchup, tomato sa, breakfast cereals, you would be amazed to find out how much hug is in there. >> people need to get involved and parents should find alternates. >> if you look at other planneds of the same product you will find they put different amounts of sugars and you can control what you put in your body. >> on average how many teaspoons in one soda, say you get a can of, 20-ounce? >> about 16 teaspoons. >> let's keep drinking the water. >> thank you so much. >> good information. thanks for joining us for the first time. >> that does it for us, chris

wallace is up next, and we hope you have a great week ahead and we will see you back here next weekend at the same time. the machine showed me a map of my feet, and it gave me my custom number. my arches needed more support until i got my number at the free dr. scholl's foot mapping center. i'm a believer! and you will be too! learn where to find your number at drscholls.com.

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